Silver Meteor (97) of 7/14

[National Limited]

Does anyone know why 97 left NYP 3:33 late on the 14th?

 

[Ray L. Nutz]

just guessing but probably because the equipment came in late on previous train and needed to be serviced.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Silver Service OTP seems to be in meltdown right now. We made a short 91 - 98 trip Thursday, both were late, 91 by about 3 hours, 98 by roughly 2:45. Today, southbounds are 5:00 hours late (91) 7:45 late (97), about 5 hours late (Sunset EB) or about 2:15 late (92, 98), all in Florida right now. No, Sunset isn't Silver service, but I looked at it too, thought I might as well include it. I imagine some of the lateness is heat restrictions (Duh, it's July in Florida), but surely that doesn't explain all of it.

 

[Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee]

Defects (of which are unknown to me) were found within the dining car at Sunny Side yard, resulting in the diner being removed from the train's consist. Most likely they found the problems and there wasn't enough time between that time and departure time to switch out the necessary cars. It does take quite a bit of time to switch passenger equipment especially when it is in short supply. As for my view on this, I won't go there!

The Silver Service has been taking a beating lately! Either with heat restrictions in FL on the 1st or last day of the train's trip, or some other problem in the Carolinas or the North. Train #97-15th struck a vehicle somewhere around CHS SC this morning, as well as other trouble around SAV GA. All this making them over five hours late. They were probably already late to begin with! OBS...

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Maybe the schedules should be stretched some more down here in the south during the summer to allow a little catching up for heat restrictions. Seems like it's just one thing after another, but since it's not likely to cool off down here until late September, or later, if the heat restrictions are likely to stay in place, a schedule change would be appropriate so as to help the trains have at least a fighting chance of making some decent OTP. Right now it is pretty disastrous. We spent quite a bit of time on that trip, both directions, and waiting at stations, explaining to other pax some of the "not Amtrak's fault" reasons for the lateness. The explanations are usually accepted, but more than three hours of lateness is still an embarassment unless something really serious single-eventwise, like a vehicle-train crossing accident, is the main culprit. As an aside, most people are completely unaware that Amtrak doesn't own the tracks that their trains travel on, except in certain limited areas, like the NEC. I wish Amtrak did a better job at getting that info into the pax' mind. That and maybe urge pax to contact their reps in Washington to get better funding for continuted Amtrak travel.

 

[Guest]

I was on 91(11), which arrived in tampa 3 hours late due to a passenger losing their mind and having a breakdown. I may add more to this later if i get the time...

 

[AlanB]

Just to add to this, 91 (14) was late due to brake problems. It got about halfway out the yard lead, when one of the two AEM-7's had a brake problem. I saw it sitting on the yard lead to the tunnel, but way shy of the signal as I passed by Sunnyside on the LIRR.

They finally got the problem fixed, or so they thought, and the train reached Penn. It departed Penn about an hour late at 11:00 AM, shortly before a late arriving train #95 picked me up to head for DC. 95 was late, as well as many Boston - NYP Amtrak trains, along with many Metro North trains, thanks to an unattended bag left on a platform at Stamford. So police closed the station to trains for about 45 minutes.

When we got to NWK on 95, I could hear Dock talking to 91 again. Apparently the brakes had once again failed on 91 only a few hundred yards west of Newark. Dock was making arangements to swap the protect power sitting at Allied Junction with the defective AEM-7.

91 finally arrived into DC about the same time I was departing on the Capitol Limited to Chicago.